Having tracked the buzzards down to some remote trees I stand some chance of getting a nice shot of them. Somewhere between here and there, though, are my glasses. Needles in haystacks.
Update the following morning:
Maggie had told me that the buzzards were in the field next door which is as close as they've been so I stopped what I was doing, grabbed my camera, took off my glasses and put them in my shirt pocket as I dashed out. I decided to go through the paddock and out into the field they were in by going across a stream and emerging from trees with low branches. This entailed climbing over several fences and leaping the stream. After getting one or two fairly good photos the birds headed off towards a tree where I'd seen them before. I decided to follow and headed back under the tree, over the stream and then out across some more fields and gates. By now they were back where they'd been first so back I trek once more. More gates to climb etc. I did get just one photo as they circled above me but focussing just wasn't fast enough most of the time.
That was when I realised that I'd lost my glasses. It was hot but I retraced my steps twice, concentrating on a couple of places where I reckoned they were most likely to have fallen oyt of my shirt top pocket - a fence near the stream, a place where I had to bend over to get below branches and a couple of gates that I climbed over. I found nothing and resigned myself to the fact that I was in trouble.
Back home I was delighted to discover that it had been my computer work glasses I'd lost which had been quite cheap and not the £200+ reading ones. So, having been a bit down before, not helped by the heat and several searching treks I'd made, not liking to give up, I was now quite cheery and ordered another pair from the place that supplied the lost ones. The price had more than doubled from an original £22 special offer so I selected a different style and got a bit closer to that price again. I did try three other on-line suppliers first. Tesco had some great looking glasses for just £15 but every time I tried to order them they said I needed to contact the store which was a drag so I moved on. Another supposedly very cheap place had nothing under £55 and another that had nice products charged loads fro delivery with prices all in dollars anyway. The order I placed should be here in a week or so but the e-mail confirmation said 1 August which is a bit longer. I guess I'll survive I had thought and was resigned to sitting closer to the screen for a while, wearing reading glasses.
Then, this morning, I decided to have another walk along the same track. At the first gate I had to climb over (because the latch was stuck) I looked again on the ground and there they were! Not at all obvious but in a place I hadn't looked as carefully as others. This was the very first obstacle too. I should have realised that it was the most likely. So I have them back. And a spare pair coming in August. It's cost me £40 but I shall remember next time to leave them at home!
